The present invention relates to the field of audio and audiovisual entertainment, particularly in the home environment, More specifically, the present invention relates to a system and method for requesting, obtaining and using multimedia files or data streams for audio or audiovisual entertainment on a home entertainment system.
Today, many types of audio and video entertainment are available through a personal computer (PC). For example, many personal computers now include a compact disc (CD) drive. The CD drive can be used to load programming from a CD to the computer, but can also be used to play audio CD""s through the computer""s audio system or to access multimedia programming on a CD-ROM. Similarly, some personal computers now include a digital video disc (DVD) player so that movies recorded on a DVD can be watched on the computer.
Additionally, if the computer is connected to the Internet, a wealth of audiovisual material for both entertainment and education can be downloaded and experienced using the computer. For example, some radio stations xe2x80x9cbroadcastxe2x80x9d over the Internet by allowing listeners to access an audio data stream from the radio station""s web-site which is received and played by that listener""s computer. Files of audio data, particularly in the MP3 format, can be downloaded from the Internet, stored on a personal computer and then played by the computer whenever desired by the user.
The term xe2x80x9cMP3xe2x80x9d is short for Motion Picture Expert Group (MPEG) Layer 3 and is an audio compression standard that allows high quality audio to be stored in a reasonably small data file. The compression ratios limit the audio quality, but with MP3, a 128 Kilobits/second data stream will deliver near CD quality audio in stereo.
In addition to these sources of audio data, the Internet can also provide streaming audiovisual data such as music videos, news reports, etc. As the bandwidth of the Internet continues to evolve, more audiovisual programming will likely be available over the Internet.
While there is such a great wealth of audiovisual content available from the Internet, accessing this material typically requires the user to use and be located at his or her personal computer. This may be both uncomfortable and inconvenient. For example, a user may want to be in another room or part of the house in order to perform a task while listening to music that is resident on his or her computer or being received by the computer over the Internet. However, the user will have to stay near the computer to hear the audio being played.
Similarly, the user may wish to recline on a sofa or comfortable chair while watching an audiovisual program that has been downloaded from the Internet to the user""s computer or is streaming from the Internet over a connection to the user""s computer. However, unlike television sets, computers are not typically arranged in front of a sofa or the like. Rather, a computer is typically set-up on a desk or table with an appropriate chair that accommodates use of the computer""s mouse and keyboard, but is not intended for relaxing while enjoying an audiovisual entertainment program.
Consequently, there is a need in the art for a method and system that allow a user to receive audio or audiovisual programming from the Internet with a personal computer, but which also allows the user to access and enjoy the received programming throughout the user""s house at a location that is most convenient and comfortable for the user to do so.
The present invention meets the above-described needs and others. For example, the present invention provides a system and method for accessing and managing the audio and audiovisual programming on, or available to, a computer or other programming source so that the audio or audiovisual programming can be enjoyed in a place convenient to the user remote from the computer. Preferably, the user is also able, without the user being required to return to the computer, to control the audio or audiovisual programming being used.
Additional advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in the description which follows or may be learned by those skilled in the art through reading these materials or practicing the invention. The advantages of the invention may be achieved through the means recited in the attached claims.
The present invention may be embodied and described as a system for managing audio and audiovisual programming, the system including: an audio server for outputing an audio signal; at least one speaker; and a digital connection between the at least one speaker and the audio server over which the audio server provides the audio signal in digital form to the speaker.
In one preferred embodiment, the audio server is a computer on which audio or audiovisual data is stored or which is receiving a stream of audio or audiovisual data. The computer may be connected to the Internet and the audio or audiovisual programming may be received from the Internet.
A transceiver may be disposed with the speaker for communicating with a remote control unit. The remote control unit controls the output of the audio signal from the audio server to the speaker by communicating with the audio server over the digital connection between the speaker and the audio server. Preferably, the audio server transmits a listing of available audio programming to the remote control unit via the connection and the transceiver. In this embodiment, the remote control unit has a display device for displaying the listing; and a user input device with which the user can select an audio program from the list and transmit a command for the audio server to output that selected audio program to the speaker.
The audio signal from the audio server may be compressed. Consequently, the speaker has decompression hardware for decompressing the signal.
In one preferred embodiment, the connection between the audio server and the speaker is electrical wiring which also supplies power for the audio server and the speaker. In this case, the audio server and the speaker each have a power-line modem connected thereto for communicating via the electrical wiring.
In another preferred embodiment, there are a number of speakers, at least some of which have a transceiver for communicating with a remote control unit. One or more remote control units can then be used to control the speakers such that a number of different audio signals are output by the audio server to respective speakers that are communicating with different remote control units.
In still another preferred embodiment, the speaker is incorporated in a video monitor and the audio server is incorporated in an audiovisual server that outputs an audiovisual signal to the monitor. The audiovisual signal includes the audio signal for the speaker. In one preferred embodiment, the audiovisual server is a computer.
The audiovisual server may transmit a listing of available audiovisual programming to a remote control unit via the digital connection to the monitor. The remote conrol unit communicates wirelessly with a transceiver of the monitor. In such a case the remote control unit has a display device for displaying the listing; and a user input device with which the user can select an audiovisual program from the list and transmit a command for the audiovisual server to output that selected audiovisual program to the monitor.
The present invention also encompasses the methods of making and using the system described above. More specifically, the present invention encompasses a method of managing audio and audiovisual programming by transmitting an audio signal from an audio server to at least one speaker over a digital connection between the speaker and the audio speaker, the transmiting of the audio signal being a digital transmission.